Everyone wins in memorial fundraiser

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Dee Ann Willson, Chad Keichler’s mother, looks at a tattoo on Devin Lininger, a friend of Keichler’s who had the slain man’s name inked on his back, Sunday during a baseball game held in Keichler’s memory. (Ty Barbour/Enterprise-Record)<p class=’dotPhoto’>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href=’http://chicoer.mycapture.com/’>here</a>.</p>

At first glance, Dee Ann Willson seemed like any other Little League mom pacing the fence line at Hooker Oak Recreation Area, cheering on her son’s friends, taking photos and juggling post-game details concerning trophies and food.

But Sunday’s game honored the memory of Willson’s son, Chad Keichler, who was fatally shot at close range outside Normal Street Bar on Oct. 3, 2005.

It was the second annual Chad Keichler Little League Scholarship Dream Fund game, organized by Willson to raise money for needy kids who cannot afford to play Chico Little League baseball.

In 2006, the event raised enough money to provide scholarships for 17 children. This year’s financial totals were not available at press time.

Keichler was an avid sports fan who played baseball from elementary school until he graduated high school. Keichler’s friends and family said he had worked with special-needs children in the past and had planned to continue working with kids, possibly as a teacher.

For Keichler’s older sister Starr, a Little League fundraiser seemed like the perfect way to honor the things her brother loved most.

“I just want Chad’s name remembered,” she said.

The featured game pitted the Chico Major All Stars against the All Star Friends of Chad, a group of Keichler’s friends from junior high and high school.

The Major All Stars won the match this year, but lost in 2006.

A new addition this year was the formation of a second match played simultaneously on a neighboring field between members of the Chico Police Department, who won the game, and the Chico Fire Department.

But it seemed clear following both games that competitive rivalry was the last thing on the players’ minds.

“Everybody won today,” said 26-year-old Kyle Archibald, a player on the All Star Friends of Chad who said he had known Keichler since they played Little League together as kids.

Following the game, a group of players jumped at the chance to describe Keichler through their experiences with him, excitedly remembering his affectionate sense of humor and love of birthdays.

Jessica Gutierrez, 26, met Keichler, whom she called one of her best friends, in junior high. He was her first date.

“My mom still calls him my soulmate. I had a big cry last night,” she said.

Jayme Armstrong, 24, another player on the All Star Friends of Chad team, met Keichler when she was a junior in high school through a girl he was dating at the time.

“He was the kind of guy who every time you saw him he gave you a big, wet kiss. He’s kind of indescribable.”

Staff writer Sarah Kingsbury can be reached at skingsbury@chicoer.com.